Tyson Fury rode his jab to a largely uneventful 100-90 decision win on Saturday night over Francesco Pianeta in rainy Belfast, Ireland. But what comes next is sure to be more exciting: a showdown with American WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder. The two had confrontations leading up to and after Fury?s fight, with confirmation coming after that they?d fight in November in December.
?I can?t wait to fight you because I am going to knock you out,? Wilder said in the ring after being shoved by Fury. ?This I promise you. Every man who has ever stepped in the ring with me, I?ve knocked them out in devastating fashion. You?ve never been knocked out, but you?re going to feel the experience of what it?s like to be hit by the Bronze Bomber.?
According to Fury?s promoter Frank Warren, the fight will ?probably? take place in Las Vegas with the two boxers agreeing to a 50-50 split.
Wilder has been chasing a big money fight with another British heavyweight superstar, Anthony Joshua, who holds the WBA, WBO, and IBF belts. But with Joshua and his management low-balling Wilder and taking less dangerous fights to maximize the money they can make off stadium shows in the UK, Wilder?s team was forced to try and put together their own marquee fight.
That?s where Tyson Fury comes in. Fury was the previous owner of the WBA, WBO, and IBF belts after taking them off Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, but was stripped after having a cocaine fueled breakdown that saw him retire and balloon up to 385 pounds. He?s back down to a much more reasonable 258 pounds and finally looked fit after a less than tight comeback fight in June which still resulted in Fury forcing Sefer Seferi to quit on the stool after four rounds.
Still, Fury?s recent performances have nothing on Wilder?s, which include seven straight finishes since he won the WBC belt by decision in 2015. As cliche as it is to write, ?Wild? is the best way to describe Wilder?s fighting style, and he?s been making the boxing world sit up and take notice with his run over the past three years. You never know for sure with boxing, but this one between Fury and Wilder should be a great fight … one that hopefully sets up the real superfight: Deontay Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua.
